Updated May 12 to include other, subsequent media reports.

Last week, I wrote of GOP Assemblyman Van Tran officially announcing that he would challenge Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove.

Now, Quang X. Pham tells me that he’s also considering getting into the race. Pham has gotten good press for his memoir, “A Sense of Duty: My Father, My American Journey.” He was a pilot in the Marines and now runs a pharmaceutical marketing company. You can read more about him on his Web site.

Pham lives outside the district in Mission Viejo, but residency in the district not a requirement in running for Congress. Pham is a decline-to-state voter, and said that if Tran drops out, he’ll re-register and run as a Republican. Otherwise, he’ll consider running as an independent and gathering the 6,000 signatures needed to get his name on the ballot.

Pham doesn’t have a high profile, but he’s been on the edges of the radar. He’s appeared at least twice before on this blog - including this account of his waterboarding experience - and the Bolsavik blog has noticed him, including this item last year documenting his attendance at the Leadership Academy for Asian Pacific American Elected Officials.

Pham acknowledges that it will take more than $1 million to win - plus he has a big gap to overcome in name ID. But he eagerly points out that Joseph Cao came out of nowhere last year to become the first Vietnamese American in Congress.

Total Buzz was the first to report that Tran was officially announcing, was also the first to let Pham’s cat out of the bag. After the posting here, Bolsavik’s blog offered this favorable reaction, which references Pham’s stature in the Vietnamese American community.

Here’s a rough translation of what Nguoi Viet wrote:

Little Saigon: Less than a week after Assemblyman Van Tran announced his candidacy for Congress District # 47, writer Quang X. Pham just decided to run for that position too. He said to Nguoi Viet, “It’s just exploratory right now. I will decide officially by the fall. In 2006 I already think of getting in the race but there was no opportunity. Right now there are two wars (overseas) but no one in Congress pay any attention and District # 47 doesn’t have enough jobs (for it people).”

He continued, “I think I have to do something about it. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez has been here for 12 years already.”

Quang is the author of “A Sense of Duty” … he is also a former Major pilot of the U.S. Marines, had participated in the first Middle East War and the war in Somalia in the ’90s, and is now the CEO of Lathian Health, a pharmaceutical marketing company. He lives in Mission Viejo (per Martin Wisckol, the Register) not in the 47th District, but he said he can move in easily and legally.

He didn’t mention his party affiliation, but he said if Tran doesn’t run, he will campaign a Republican candidate. If Tran does run, Pham will run as an independent. The Vietnamese-American author said he will need to raise $1 million in order to win.

He mentioned the case of Joseph Cao of Louisiana’s Congressional District #2 as not having any money yet became the first Vietnamese-American congressman in the Congress….

Posted in: Elections 2010 • Loretta Sanchez • Quang X. Pham • Van Tran |

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.